Pretending

 Pretending by Holly Bourne  412 pages 

April is pretty, and relatively normal (all things considered) but she can't seem to get past date five with any man. And every time she thinks she's found someone she can trust, they break her heart . . . and also leave her angry.  If only April could be more like Gretel, a woman she has made up in her own mind. Gretel is what all men want -- a Cool Girl, a regular girl, a bit of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl With No Problems. When April decides to try being Gretel on her next dates, dating becomes much more fun, especially when she meets Joshua. Now, April is in control and there's no way Joshua can really get too close to her, which means he can't break her heart. Question is: how long can April keep pretending to be in control of her feelings?

Interesting story. Admittedly, I often found I got impatient with April although I found some of her points about the opposite sex, dating and relationships to be thought-provoking (and sometimes very funny). There are some pretty sensitive issues here, though -- April works for a place that handles calls from women who have been raped or abused, or are in unhealthy relationships. So, that definitely colors April's view of men (which makes sense). I thought this book was okay --- it was worth finishing and I liked parts of it, but I didn't find much of it really resonated with me.  Which is fine --- I know other readers really enjoyed this book and like this author. It's just a case of "not my book."